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Description
Theatrical adaptation of THE MOONSTONE is a follow-up to the Czech-Icelandic theater project SKUGGA BALDUR (co-financed by EEA Grants 2009-2014), celebrated by the Divadelni Noviny Award in the Production of the Year 2016, played at several major festivals and staged at Prague''s Studio Hrdinů (since performed 55 times).
In relation to the upcoming production project THE MOONSTONE, our Czech-Icelandic creative team and its partners strive to create a platform for the open discussion of the living conditions and rights of the queer community in Iceland, but especially in the Czech Republic. The perception of sexual minorities (especially transgenders) by a heteronormative majority society is still burdened with certain stereotypes, false ideas, prejudices and clichés, often and significantly reflected in the way the LGBT community is portrayed in the context of theater and film.
The effort to shift the perception and depiction of these themes naturally stems from the literary model presented in Sjón''s novel “Mánisteinn” - THE MOONSTONE. Here the focus is on the inner experience of the world through the eyes of a lonely boy whose fate is determined by his sexual orientation and lack of family foundation. But the primary and all pervasive motive is the freedom and independence of an individual who accepts his "otherness" – Icelandic hinsegin – as an autonomous human being, regardless of judgment and surrounding opinions.
The Icelandic Performing Arts Center Tjarnarbíó and the National Queer Organization of Iceland “Samtökin ´78” are the project partners. Thanks to the cooperation of these two institutions the foundation and location for staging in Iceland (Reykjavík) and the complete accompanying program are ensured, especially public discussions led by Ásta Kristín Benediktsdóttir, a literary scholar in Icelandic modern literature, who was first drawn to queer theory and queer Icelandic literature while selecting a subject for her doctoral research.
Summary of project results
In Czech Republic, perception of sexual minorities is still burdened by certain stereotypes, prejudices, and clichés, which often reflect in the portrayal of the LGBTQ+ community in the context of theater and film production. The protagonist of the Moonstone is not assigned the role of a victim; it opens up the possibility of exposing queer characters without social stigma. The production team was challenged mainly by the operational and organizational demands of international collaboration.
As part of the project, a successful multimedia theater production Moonstone was created, accompanied by a series of discussions with the author of the original work, Sjón, creators, and experts in various related topics. In addition to being performed in Prague, both the reprises and discussions took place in Reykjavík, in collaboration with the partners – the Center for Contemporary Performing Arts Tjarnarbíó and Samtökin ''78, the National Queer Association of Iceland. The accompanying program also included a video installation in a public space – in the display window of Studio Hrdinů shared with the exhibition space Korzo run by the National Gallery Prague. All these activities involved mutual exchange of experiences between Czech and Icelandic participants of the project (artists, experts, partners, and organizers) and, last but not least, provided an open space for discussion on the living conditions and rights of the queer community in the CR in comparison to those in Iceland.
The main outputs of the project were: filming of video materials, creation of a theatrical production, exhibition and series of talks. Performances and discussions took place in CR and on Iceland. An unintended effect was, for example, an interdisciplinary grasp of the exhibition, or the realization of a walk through the locations of the book model in Reykjavík. The October performances then became a quiet place to express support for the survivors of the sexually motivated attack in Slovakia.
Summary of bilateral results
A partnership with the Icelandic Center for Contemporary Performing Arts Tjarnarbio enabled the promotion and reruns of the production in Reykjavík. The introduction included a discussion with the audience and the author of the work, the world-renowned Icelandic writer Sjón. Another guest and moderator of the discussion was the delegate of the partner institution Samtökin ´78, Ásta Kristín Benediktsdóttir. The collaboration with this literary scholar focusing on Icelandic modern literature and the involvement of the partner institution Samtökin 78 made it possible to connect to important sources of research related to both the project itself and its accompanying program. Thanks to the intensive consultations, all members of the creative team had the opportunity to look into the authentic environment of the queer community in Iceland and at the same time get to know more closely the essential aspects of the current Icelandic literary and thus cultural scene. Last but not least, professional experience and language skills were also important when working with the original novel and the subtitles of the Icelandic reruns.